BBB Warns of Latest One-Ring Phone Scam

BATES COUNTY - The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers of a phone scam dubbed the “473 Scam” or the “One-Ring Scam.”

According to the BBB, a large number of people throughout the United States have been receiving phone calls from a 473 area code located out of Grenada in the Caribbean.

In the scam, a blast of robocalls are sent to cell phones, but the phones only ring once. The scammers hope to spike people’s curiosity and have them dial the number back. In calling the number back, the victim of the scam could be charged $20 or more.

The 473 area code functions like a 1-900 number, charging callers $19.95 for an international call fee. The longer a person waits on the line, the more they are charged. Most of this money goes straight to the scammers.

According to an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Many cell phone carriers allow you to block calls for free on your cell phone. One way to do this is to go to your call log and add the number to a reject or blocked number list.”

ScamCallFighters has a detailed list of 473 numbers that have been reported as scam calls.

If you have received one of these calls, you may report it to the Missouri Attorney General (800-392-8222) and/or the Federal Trade Commission (877-382-4357).